Flooding in NSW and Victoria has claimed another life as several evacuation orders remain in place and severe weather is expected in the coming days.
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The flood event's death toll rose to three when a body, believed to be that of a missing man Phillip Alvaro, was recovered from floodwaters in western NSW on Wednesday.
The 63-year-old was last seen on a rural property on Lachlan Valley Way, Hillston, about 12pm on Tuesday 11 October.
After an extensive search, officers attached to Murrumbidgee Police District, with assistance from NSW SES, retrieved the body on Wednesday morning.
The latest death comes after a 71-year-old man was found dead in his Rochester backyard, south of Echuca, in Victoria, on Saturday and a 65-year-old man was found dead in Nathalia floodwaters, near Shepparton, Wednesday morning.
A Victoria SES spokesperson said the total number of requests for assistance throughout the state had reached 8000 since the flooding event started.
There were 12 floodwater rescues in the 24 hours to 5am Thursday morning.
In Victoria, evacuation orders remain for Echuca and Echuca Village, where residents are being warned floodwaters are damaging sewerage systems.
Major flooding is occurring at Echuca, with flood levels higher than the Murray River's peak of 94.77 metres AHD from the 1993 floods, expected for Friday.
Forecasts indicate around 1200 homes in Echuca could be affected.
The northern Victorian town has already received 195,000 sandbags and residents have built a makeshift soil and sandbag levee to help protect homes and the town centre.
The flood peak is expected to reach Moama, across the NSW border, on Saturday.
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Barmah, Barmah East and Lower Moira are also on evacuation orders and Bunbartha is not deemed safe to return.
As of Wednesday evening, residents in the Kerang township have been warned it is too late to leave and those who have not evacuated should shelter in place.
A Victoria SES spokesperson said the state can expect to see some of those emergency warnings downgraded over the coming days.
In NSW, evacuation orders are in place for several parts of Moama, Cummeragunja, Mathoura East and parts of Narrandera.
The Murrumbidgee River has peaked at Narrandera and NSW SES are working with communities downstream at Darlington Point and Hay which are expecting the peak to reach them soon.
Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are expected for flood affected regions in the coming days.
Storms are expected to spread across much of Queensland, NSW, Victoria and parts of eastern South Australia on Thursday and Friday.
Rainfall could accumulate to 100mm across the eastern states by the end of the week.
Tim Piccione
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
